Materials and Device Strategies for Energy Nanogenerators

Tribo- and piezo-electric nanogenerators (TENG and PENG) are deemed as low-cost, and effective distributed energy conversion of mechanical energy to electricity, which allow us to harvest wasted mechanical energy from the environment or human motion. Device design and materials composition are the two important approaches in addressing the challenges in improving the output power of TENG and/or PENG. One of the device engineering involves generation of continuous direct current electricity from dynamic p-n or Schottky junctions to achieve tribovoltaic nanogenerator (TVNG). By incorporating ferroelectricity, we aim to control the interfacial energy band bending to regulate work function for enhanced current output. The materials composition used is a lead-free perovskite-based (3,3 difluorocyclobutylammonium)₂CuCl₄ ((DF-CBA)₂CuCl₄) that is coupled with Al metal to form Schottky junction TVNG.[1] The system provides excellent surface charge modulating capacity and high work function regulation via an electrical poling control. On the other hand, in harnessing mechanical bending motion through PENG, an auxetic structure on polymer substrate was fabricated with 3D printing. A synclastic effect of the auxetic structure is harnessed to achieve bending mode flexible energy harvesting of PENG will be introduced.[2] Further work progress on gas-solid interacted TENG will also be introduced.<br/> <br/>References:<br/>1. F. Jiang, G. Thangavel, X. Zhou, G. Adit, H. Fu, J. Lv, L. Zhan, Y. Zhang, P. S. Lee, Adv. Mater. 2023, 35(31), 2302815.<br/>2. X. Zhou, K. Parida, J. Chen, J. Xiong, Z. Zhou, F. Jiang, Y. Xin, S. Magdassi, P. S. Lee, Adv. Energy Mater. 2023, 13(34), 2301159.